Dark Secrets
by Aria6
Summary: AU, but heavily related to the bleach storyline... Grimmjow is a demon slayer and angel, while Ichigo is a spiritually gifted boy. As a child, Ichigo steals a bit of his power. Eventually they meet again, and what will happen then? Grimm is replacing Rukia a bit in this. Lemons, torture and some non-con will be involved. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

For as long as he knew, Ichigo had always seen demons.

For a young, sensitive boy, it was torture. Torture to know that the monster under his bed was real. Torture to know that the nightlights, the toys, the little protective charms that his mother made did nothing at all. The demons were there, in his room, laughing in his face and promising him horrible things. And if he'd had any doubt of their reality he'd have known otherwise when their claws bit into his skin, leaving little red marks that his mother couldn't explain.

Then his mother had died. Everyone said it must have been a drifter, some horrible criminal wandering around to outrun his crimes, but Ichigo knew otherwise. It was the demons. One of them had promised to kill her, taunting the little boy with what he would do. Furious, Ichigo had tried to lash out at it, tried to stop it. It had simply knocked him to the ground and laughed before going to rip out the centre of his family. The person he loved most in the world.

But he hadn't blamed himself, not then. That only happened after he met the angel.

"Hey, you! Yeah you, ginger!" Ichigo blinked, glancing around. He was sitting on a bench in the park, enjoying a fine summer day without demons. He wasn't sure why, but he hadn't seen any for almost a week. Then his eyes widened as a man vaulted over the back of the bench and thumped down beside him. "Yeah you, sport. How's it going?"

"Uh, fine." Ichigo said, highly unnerved as he looked up into electric blue eyes and a wide, wicked grin. "Um…" He started to edge away but a hand caught his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"Geez, how old are you, you little powerhouse?" The man said and Ichigo blinked, wondering what that meant. "You are just burning up, what the fuck will happen when you hit puberty? Eh, not my business. But you can see me, so you can see demons." Ichigo's breath stuck in his throat and his eyes went wide as he started to struggle. He'd thought this man was human, but now that he'd said that he could tell he wasn't. No, this was some kind of spirit, just like the demons… no, it was a demon! "What? What's wrong?" The man wasn't letting go, just frowning at him.

"You're a demon! Stop it, let me go!" He struggled wildly, trying to punch and kick the stranger, who winced.

"The fuck I am. I'm an angel, you brat." He said gruffly and Ichigo's struggles stopped as he looked at the man, wide eyed. "Well, sort of. A demon killer anyway. Some people call us angels. I think I'm too much of a badass motherfucker to be called an angel, but whatever works."

"Really?" Ichigo wasn't sure he believed this at all. "What do you want with me?" He asked and the angel huffed a laugh before letting go of his shoulder.

"Not a thing. I'm here to help you." He said and Ichigo blinked. "Those demons you see, they're not really there. They're like shadows. They feed on kids like you, take strength from you and use it to do things in the real world. They've been hurting you, haven't they?" Ichigo stayed still as the angel lifted up his shirt a bit, looking at marks on his pale skin. A horrible thought was beginning to fill his mind. "Poor kid. Okay, there's a trick to keeping them from taking power from you. Watch me really close, alright?" Ichigo stared as the angel's feeling seemed to… change. He suddenly seemed less there. "I just closed myself off from the outside. Try it, you can do it too. The fuckers'll still be able to taunt you, but they won't be able to take power from you if you do that. And it stays in sleep, too, which is a damn good thing." Ichigo sniffed but did as the angel told him, trying to mimic the feel of the man across from him. "Good! For now, that's all you need."

"Prove to me that you're an angel." Ichigo suddenly demanded. He didn't want to believe this was true. If what the angel had just told him was true, then… it had been his fault his mother died. The demon had used his power to kill her. "Prove it to me!" The angel sat back as furious brown eyes met confused blue.

"Uh? Well…" The angel opened his shirt, revealing a necklace he wore around his neck. It was iron, in the shape of an ornate six. "This is my badge of rank, see. Means I'm the sixth in this particular sector. It also protects me from all kinds of things, and scares the piss out of the little demons like your shadows. They won't come anywhere near me, hah. And it – HEY!" The angel howled as Ichigo suddenly snatched at the charm. At the touch of his desperate power, the chain holding it in place burst, falling into pieces. Ichigo ran then, ran like a demon was behind him… or rather, a furious angel. "Give that back you little bastard!"

Ichigo wasn't sure how he did it, but he outran the angel. Maybe it was because he knew the place and the angel didn't, or maybe it was the way he ducked through a hole in a wall that was far too small for a grown man. But either way, he could eventually tell he was no longer being pursued. Sitting down, he looked at the six in his hand.

"The demons won't come anywhere near me." He whispered, running his fingers over the metal. He couldn't feel anything strange about it, not really. But if that man was truly an angel and this would keep the demons away… Ichigo burst into tears. He'd remember to keep himself sealed, just in case, but finally, finally he would be safe. His whole family would be safe.

He would never have to be afraid again.

* * *

"Well, fuck me with a wooden spoon." Grimmjow came to a stop, panting and disbelieving. "I can't believe this. I just can't fucking believe this."

The kid couldn't have been older than ten. Just a cute little kid, all neon orange hair and big brown eyes. Grimmjow had been sensing him for days, and it was part of his job to show kids like that how to seal off before the demons could do some real damage. So he'd hunted the brat down to give him the basic instructions. The kid had been way more powerful than usual, and that was interesting. He'd planned to mention it to his boss.

But he hadn't planned to lose his badge of rank. That was really fucking bad, and how the hell was he going to explain it? Sure, the burst of spirit power had broken the chain, but fuck! He was a damned demon slayer who couldn't catch a little kid?

But he couldn't. The kid was gone and Grimmjow had no idea where he'd gotten to. And now that the brat was sealing his power, he wouldn't find the damned kid either. It worked on him just as well as it did on the demons.

"Fuck!" He spat out the word, then grimaced. There was no point in delaying his punishment. He couldn't complete his mission without his badge of rank, not unless he was a moron. That thing was part of his power, and losing it meant losing a tiny piece of himself. Another could be made, but that little piece would always be lost. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated hard, opening the portal between worlds with raw willpower. It would have been a hell of a lot easier with the badge to focus through. Just one of the many little things that toy did for him.

If he ever saw that kid again, he was going to be in for a world of hurt.

* * *

Ichigo put his books into his locker, pausing to look at himself in the little mirror on the inside of the door.

He reached up a finger to trace the ornate six at his neck. He always wore it, now. He'd wondered if the angel was telling the truth, so he'd experimented with it, tried leaving it off for a while. The demons had always come back, taunting and whispering to him even if they could no longer touch him. But when he wore the pendant, they were gone. Completely. There was not even the slightest sign of them.

Ichigo had worn the pendant for so long that he'd started taking it for granted. Then, it had almost been lost in a move when he was fourteen. The two frantic weeks he'd spent searching for it, and the taunting presence of the demons, had reminded him of how important it was. He'd finally found it in a box and for a birthday gift, his father had gotten him a solid silver chain for it, heavy and thick. Isshin didn't understand why the charm meant so much to Ichigo, but he'd watched his son searching through everything to find it. The chain would help make sure it was never accidentally lost again.

But the pendant was a bitter thing, too, because it reminded him of the angels' words. Ichigo sighed, taking out his math textbook and closing his locker, spinning the combination wheel of his lock. It had been his fault his mother had died. No one would ever know but him, but he knew, and the truth of it scalded his soul.

But he could only go on, and the pendant ensured it would never, ever happen again. Even if he forgot to shield himself, the pendant was always there. Ichigo smiled weakly at the thought as he made his way to class.

* * *

"I can't believe this shit." Grimmjow muttered to himself as he stepped into the school. "Am I still being punished?" It had literally been years before the others had let him live down losing his badge of rank. The shit missions he'd gotten for those years… it was mortifying. Worse was the black mark on his file, a file that was already peppered with too many black marks.

And now he was jacked up with a mortal body, wearing a school uniform and enrolling in this fucking school. There was a point, though. There was a succubus or something stalking the students. Three of the students had gone insane in the past year. Completely, bugfuck, off the wall insane. The first one hadn't been noticed but the other two had, and there were clear signs of demonic energy on all three of them. Damage had been inflicted on their souls, in a pattern that matched nothing the demon slayers knew. That was unusual but hardly unknown. Demons sometimes formed new and weird hybrids, so it was probably some new method of feeding. The boss thought those kids had been fed on for some time, before finally snapping under the strain.

Since they all went to the same school, this was one of the common threads. There were others, and Ulquiorra was investigating that, but Grimmjow's job was to infiltrate the school. Ulquiorra claimed he'd been picked because he acted like a child effortlessly and would have no trouble fitting in.

"Jackass." Grimmjow muttered to himself as he stood in front of the class. The teacher introduced him and he smiled at the students, pleased at how many of them seemed scared of him. It was probably the hair. He looked like a delinquent to them, but that was fine. Might help catch the demon off guard. His power was heavily under wraps.

Then his gaze was caught by something that made him pause. One kid in the middle had orange hair. Really fucking orange, like neon orange. He wasn't even looking up, just concentrating on his books, so Grimmjow couldn't get a look at his eyes. Would they be brown? His hands twitched and his eyes narrowed as he went to take a seat. There was a spot open next to the ginger, so he grabbed it, trying to catch a look at the kid's eyes. He couldn't. Maddening.

Well, he'd be keeping an eye on this one, that was for sure. If the kid was who he thought he was, they had a score to settle.

* * *

Ichigo ate his food at lunch, trying to ignore the blue haired kid who kept staring at him.

It had been a week since the transfer student had arrived and there were tons of rumours flying about him. Ichigo thought the most plausible was that he'd been expelled from another school, and given a second chance here. Probably for fighting or bullying, although he hoped it wasn't the latter. If the kid was a bully, well, the way he was staring at Ichigo was not a good thing. If the blue haired kid thought that Ichigo would be an easy target, though, he had another think coming. Ichigo knew karate and he wasn't afraid to use it.

"You know, Ichigo, you should get a fifteen charm instead of that six." Ishida commented, not for the first time. Something about seeing his charm with his fifteen shirt drove his friend quietly crazy. Ichigo couldn't help but smile. It was a very Ishida thing to be bothered about.

"I told you, it was a gift from a friend." Ichigo reached up to feel the gothic six through his shirt. He completely missed the blue haired kid stiffening and sending him a scorching look.

Ichigo was walking home when it happened. He was passing by an alleyway when a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder and yanked him into the shadows. It was completely unexpected and quite shocking. Even more shocking was hard hands shoving him against the brick wall.

"Let go of me!" He snarled as he looked into the furious eyes of the exchange student. What was his name? Grimm something, he knew that much. He tried to break the man's grip but was surprised as the other kid just tore open the front of his shirt.

"Gift from a friend, my fucking ass." The kid snarled and Ichigo's eyes went wide as he met blue eyes. Electric blue eyes, just like… "Hope you enjoy that piece of my _soul_, you thieving little bastard!" He was slammed roughly into the wall, but then the blue haired kid just let go of him and walked away. Ichigo stumbled on his feet for a moment, absolutely speechless.

"Hey, wait!" He belatedly tried to run after the angel, but when he reached the mouth of the alleyway the other kid was gone.

* * *

"Shit." Grimmjow hoped no one had caught that little confrontation. He could not afford another black mark on his file.

But he'd had to do something, especially after he'd heard the little brat tell his friend it was a gift from a friend. Yeah, right. That had burnt his balls so bad, he'd hardly been able to wait until school was done to confront the little bastard. He'd blown his cover with the ginger now, but who the hell was he going to tell, really? In fact, the kid could be a resource. If anyone would know something about a demon at his school, it would be that kid.

Grimmjow didn't think Aizen would see it that way, though. It was a sure bet that every time he made a judgement call, his boss would find something to use to call him to the carpet for it. Sometimes it seemed pretty unfair, but he had no choice but to suck it up and take it. He tried to handle it by not making any decision if he could help it, but sometimes you just had to jump. Grimmjow just seemed to have a genius for jumping the wrong way.

Sighing to himself, he waited for Ulquiorra at the contact point. The green eyed freak was not his friend. They were cordial, most of the time, but Grimmjow could practically feel the dislike in those green eyes. And once or twice, when Ulquiorra thought he wasn't looking, it felt like something closer to hate.

Grimmjow couldn't imagine why Ulquiorra would hate him. He was just a sexta with the kind of record that no one would want. Ulquiorra was an up and coming quatro, with dozens of stunning reviews from Aizen. His career was going places and Grimmjow's was already dead. Maybe it was a personality clash, although Grimmjow had never noticed that Ulquiorra had any kind of personality.

"Grimmjow." He didn't even flinch at the soft voice, just turning his head to look at the pale, green eyed demon slayer. He wasn't in a human body, so he was wearing Aizen's chosen style of uniform, white and black. "Have you had any progress?"

"Not much. This sort of thing takes time." Grimmjow said easily, leaning back against the wall. "I've sniffed out the kids in my class, but no one has any kind of damage. It's a bit harder to sniff out the other classes, but I'm managing it on breaks. So far, nada. No power signatures in the school, but it could just be well shielded."

"Work faster. Aizen is impatient." Ulquiorra said before walking away. Grimmjow grimaced, then sighed. Ulquiorra would write the report, as always, and as always there would be absolutely no credit given to someone as lowly as him.

But what could you do?

* * *

Ichigo had no idea what to say to the blue haired kid the next day.

So the first thing he did was try to find out some real information about him. He hadn't cared before, hadn't even gotten his name, but he spoke to Ishida and found out it was Grimmjow. A pretty odd name, but he supposed you couldn't expect normal from an angel and demon hunter.

Really seeing Grimmjow for the first time, Ichigo wondered how he hadn't noticed him before. Grimmjow didn't look seventeen, at all. He looked like he could be a boxer or a pro wrestler, with his fine, chiselled build and his visible six pack. Ichigo knew he looked almost as good, but he was slighter and more awkwardly built, likely because he was younger. Grimmjow could not possibly be seventeen.

His handwriting was absolute crap, too. They sat side by side, so Ichigo could glance over and see the wavering lines that looked like a spider had gotten into an inkpot and decided to take a run over the page. He could also see the doodles in the corners of the page. Grimmjow had some real artistic talent, drawing some very nice flowers in the corners of his sheets, including a stunningly realistic orchid. Ichigo was impressed. He couldn't draw a bit, but Yuzu could, and he didn't think his sister could have done that.

Grimmjow's schoolwork was pretty bad, though. Today was a pop quiz and when Ichigo carefully took a look, Grimmjow's answers made him wince. They were witty but not even close to correct. But then, what did a demon slayer care about things like cosigns and fractions?

He finally managed to corner Grimmjow in the library, during rest period. The angel had a nice spot to himself in the corner, thanks to the fact that he gave anyone who tried to sit with him a malignant stare. Ichigo just returned the look, sitting down beside the demon slayer.

"Why are you here?" He asked quietly and got a huge grin. It was the exact same grin he remembered seeing as a child.

"I'm readin'. Why are you bothering me, Kurosaki?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, unaware of how it might look to anyone watching them.

"I mean, why are you _here?_ At the school? Is it the kids who went crazy?" He asked and the man across from him just looked at him for a moment.

"And what if it is?" He said, flipping a page of his book. "Do you have anything to tell me, brat?" He asked and Ichigo gritted his teeth at that term for himself, moving in even closer and invading Grimmjow's personal space. The angel didn't seem to notice or care.

"I think you should tell me – " He stopped dead as he heard someone clear their throat. They both looked up and saw the librarian looking at them with heavy disapproval.

"Ichigo, please refrain from harassing our new student." She said disapprovingly and Ichigo went red as Grimmjow laughed.

"It's fine, ma'am. He's just a little intense, ain't ya you pretty Strawberry?" Grimmjow purred and Ichigo stared, utterly horrified as the man gripped his chin and smiled flirtatiously. Although… he swallowed, watching as heat flared in those incredibly blue eyes, and a strange feeling fluttered in his stomach. The librarian sighed.

"In that case, Mr. Jaegerjaquez, please take it outside. PDA's are not allowed in the library." Ichigo blushed brilliantly as Grimmjow laughed, releasing his chin.

"We'll behave." He pledged and the librarian walked away. Ichigo was speechless as he reviewed the damage that had just been done to his reputation.

"You complete jackass! That's going to be all over the school by tomorrow at the latest! You want people to think we're gay?" He snarled and was surprised as Grimmjow just grinned at him.

"I'm gay as fuck, kid. And I think you're bi. You like me, I can tell." Grimmjow purred and Ichigo stared. This was just too much. "And it'll give us a great reason to hang around together, 'cause if you're gonna help me we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

"When did I agree to help you?" Ichigo demanded and Grimmjow just looked at him for a moment.

"You haven't. But you're dead right about the kids who went crazy. They'd all been eaten by something, from the inside out." Ichigo shivered at the dead serious look Grimmjow gave him. "So. Do you want to sit this out? Or do you want the next one to be someone you know? Chad, Inoue… that Ishida, he could probably protect himself, but what about Keigo or Tatsuki? Or – "

"Okay! I get it. I get it." Ichigo bit his lip, leaning closer to Grimmjow again. "What do you want me to do?" If he could do it, he would. He couldn't let anything happen to his friends. Grimmjow reached out and touched the ornamental six at his neck, and Ichigo felt a strange jolt at his touch.

"Now, see, since this is part of my soul – no, I was not kidding – we can do some nifty stuff together. Here's how it's going to be…" Ichigo listened intently as Grimmjow explained how he could use the six to send a distress signal if he could something. It would take Grimmjow time to respond, but hopefully the angel would get there in time to help him. "Make sure you run like a coward. Don't try to fight shit without me, you don't have the weapons for it." Grimmjow warned and Ichigo nodded.

"I'll do my best." Being a coward did not come naturally to the teen at all, but if he didn't have a weapon that could kill a demon, well, that was a problem. "Have you checked the whole school yet?" He asked and Grimmjow nodded.

"I've been all over the place like a fungus. I'm still sniffing out the other students, trying to find any with damage, but physically I've checked out the whole place." He said and Ichigo hesitated. He wondered if there was, perhaps, one place Grimmjow had not checked. It was sort of a myth in school lore, and Ichigo only knew it was real because he'd stumbled over it once.

"Have you checked the sub-basement?" He asked diffidently and Grimmjow frowned. "It's not very nice, sort of a crawlspace off the main basement that leads to a room."

"Uh, no. You'll have to show that to me. Damn, I hope it's not in a crawlspace in the basement. That would be the worst fucking place to fight in the world." Grimmjow grimaced and Ichigo nodded sympathetically. He could imagine that would be bad. "It's kinda late for exploring, and you don't want to fight a demon at night if you can help it. We'll check it out tomorrow morning. You might have to play hooky from a class or two, Kurosaki." Ichigo waved that concern away.

If the difference between catching a demon or not was missing a class, he would miss it without a second thought.


	2. The Monster in the Basement

Grimmjow casually smoked a cigarette as he waited for Ichigo to show up.

He looked the very picture of a young delinquent, except for the fact that he was at school early. That was definitely out of character for someone like him. Grimmjow grinned to himself at the thought. When he'd been at the academy, this would have been perfectly in character… for the first year, anyway. After that year he'd started learning that life wasn't fair and working harder actually didn't do shit most of the time.

Kurosaki finally showed up and they exchanged a challenging look, blue eyes meeting brown.

"You ready, Kurosaki?" He asked and the teen just nodded. He looked strong and resolute. "Okay, show me this sub-basement." Ichigo nodded, but had one objection.

"I need to put my books away first." He said, jerking a thumb over his back at his backpack. Grimmjow nodded impatiently.

"I already did mine, go right ahead." He followed the kid to his locker and waited as he put the books away. There were only a few other students around, and a few of them gave the pair curious or speculative looks. Grimmjow was sure the whole "Kurosaki is gay with Grimmjow" meme had gone all over the school by now.

The ginger led him down into the basement. Grimmjow had already checked it out. It included a really big boiler and electrical stuff he didn't understand. He was mildly horrified when Ichigo pointed out a little hatch set flush in one of the walls. He'd completely missed it, but didn't much blame himself. The basement was dark and it didn't look like anything a normal person would use.

"Are you shitting me? We seriously have to crawl through that?" Grimmjow watched as Ichigo opened the thing. "Fuck, will I even fit?" He was broader in the shoulders than Ichigo. The teen frowned, looking at the space and then looking at him.

"I think so. It'll be pretty claustrophobic though." He said, looking at the crawlspace again. "Want me to go first?" Grimmjow hesitated. He was sorely tempted, just because he wanted to put this off, but he shook his head.

"I've got the weapons to defend myself, you don't. I'll go first." He shoved himself into the crawlspace, growling in pain as his shoulders scraped against the edges. Fortunately, he'd had to force himself through caves once to get at a demon. This wasn't any worse although it wasn't much better, either. "Fuck!" Grimmjow hissed as he parted spider webs with his hands. "Shit shit shit shit…" He didn't like the look of the spiders. "I hope to hell these aren't poisonous. Look out for the spiders." He called back to Ichigo.

"Thanks, Grimmjow, I needed to know about that." Came the sarcastic reply and he grinned as he finally yanked himself out of the crawlspace into a little room. There were filing cabinets everywhere, and he frowned as he saw half of them were broken and splattered with something dark and oily. Standing by the crawlspace, he waited for Ichigo to get through. The teen made the trip a lot faster, helped by the fact that his body fit into that confined space much better. "Ewww! Augh! Those aren't black widows, are they?" He said, yanking himself out and brushing himself off frantically. Grimmjow shrugged.

"No damned idea. Did it look like this the last time you were in here?" He asked. The room was surprisingly big. Ichigo looked around and blinked.

"No. Not at all. The filing cabinets were all intact and this place was… smaller." He said, a bit uncertainly. "But it's been a long time. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me."

"I kinda doubt it." Grimmjow was getting a bad, bad feeling. He couldn't sense anything specific, but that might just be some kind of really good concealment. "C'mon, let's scout." He needed more than a bad feeling to call the rest in, unless he wanted Aizen's boot up his ass. Shoving a few of the broken filing cabinets out of the way, he pushed through the discarded papers. There was no clear path through this room, only broken wreckage. Ichigo winced at the damage he was doing but did not object. It wasn't like anyone cared about this place.

They both stopped dead as they saw what lay behind the filing cabinets, though, and Grimmjow felt sweat pop out along his hairline. There were stairs leading into the ground, and it was completely pitch dark down there.

"Oh, fuck." He knew what was going on, now. "Shit. Ichigo, back away slowly, alright?" He breathed, trying to conceal his power. "We need to – oh, fuck." He sensed it as the power at the heart of this noticed him, and fear clogged his throat for a moment.

"That wasn't here before." Ichigo sounded scared, and he gripped Grimmjow's arm. "Grimmjow, what's going on?" He asked and the blue haired angel took a deep breath. Now that he'd been sensed, all his options sucked. And Ichigo was his only backup, so he deserved to know how badly they were screwed.

"Okay. This is a segue. That means that something from the other side is trying to replace a portion of your reality with its reality, and use that to springboard a big invasion." Grimmjow watched as Ichigo swallowed hard at that. "Yeah. This is something worse than anything you've seen. Now, we have a serious problem because it just spotted me." He'd been doing his damndest to keep his aura under wraps, but in terms of raw power Grimmjow was strong. He also wasn't the best at subtlety. "So we've got a choice. Either we can go to get help, which would be smart because this is a job for a Primera, supported by a Sexta." Ichigo's eyes were wide as he admitted that. "But if we do that, this thing is going to go for broke as soon as I'm gone." Grimmjow knew the force inside was waiting for him. He was only a sexta, but it couldn't know that, given his obfuscating of his aura and also his raw power confusing things. "So either we take it on right now, or a lot of people here are gonna die before I can get help." He said it as emotionlessly as he could. That little threat he'd made yesterday, about what could happen to Ichigo's friends, was coming true in a way he'd never wanted. If they left, the odds were decent that none of Ichigo's friends would make it through the day.

"We can't let that happen!" Ichigo said fiercely and Grimmjow smiled a bit. He liked that attitude. "We need to go destroy it." He said with determination and Grimmjow put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a squeeze. "What?"

"I like you, kid. I just want you to know that we're probably both gonna die and it's gonna happen anyway. But maybe we'll get lucky." If he could stop a segue, that would… oh, who was he kidding? Aizen would give him more black marks for letting this situation happen in the first place. Grimmjow couldn't think of a damned thing he could have done to prevent it, but it would still be his fault for getting sensed. "Okay." Grimmjow hesitated a moment, then popped out of his physical body, leaving it limp on the ground. Ichigo looked at it and swallowed. "I'll take point, I can take a shitload more damage than you. Uh… try to feed me power through your charm." Ichigo blinked, putting a hand against his charm. Grimmjow nodded as he felt a spill of energy flow through it, from Ichigo to him. "That's good, that's about all you can do without any training. Although stuff might happen if things get desperate." Grimmjow knew the power of desperation in the hands of someone without any training at all. He'd worn those shoes, once.

Summoning a tiny globe of blue fire in one hand, they both walked down the stairs and into the darkness.

* * *

Ichigo watched Grimmjow's back as they walked into a nightmare.

That was how he thought of it, at least. The walls of the tunnel were bare earth, at first, but that soon began to change. Now they were covered with black, angular markings that looked like a language. There were stalagmites now, reaching up from the ground, and the tips of them looked sharp. Ichigo would not have wanted to touch them.

But worst was the whispers. Ichigo shivered as a soft, cruel voice seemed to speak in his ear, finding all his hurts and fears.

_It's your fault, you know. She wouldn't have died if it weren't for you._ Ichigo's breathing hitched as he tried to focus on Grimmjow's back. _They would hate you if they knew. Your father would hate you for taking the light from his life._ A small sob fought its way out of his throat, despite everything he could do to hold it back. He knew that was true. He knew –

"Hey. Don't listen to that shit." Ichigo started as Grimmjow suddenly stopped, turning and gripping his arm. "They're just trying to weaken you."

"You can hear it too?" Ichigo asked, feeling quietly devastated. What would Grimmjow think of him if he knew… but the demon slayer laughed, a touch raggedly.

"Of course. You think they're just talking to you? I have my hurts." He said with a cold, bitter smile. Ichigo blinked as he realized the whispers weren't being shared between them. No, Grimmjow was facing his own demons. "But I've been through this shit before. Remember, these fuckers always lie. Except when telling the truth hurts more." That wasn't particularly comforting, but Ichigo fixed it in his mind. The demons were trying to weaken him, and he could not fail his friends and family a second time.

That resolve made it easier to ignore the whispers, even when they began taunting him with what would happen to him here. Ichigo tried to ignore the depictions of grotesque torture and rape, reaching up to touch the six at his neck. His senses felt completely open, and he could feel the tiny bit of blue fire in that charm now. A blue fire that matched Grimmjow's aura. No wonder the angel had been so angry with him, it really was part of his soul.

Then the first attack came. There was little for Ichigo to do, but he did kick and punch some bats that made it past Grimmjow to try to hurt him. The things had needle sharp teeth, but Ichigo was fast and strong. His blows couldn't stop them, though. That required the touch of Grimmjow's sword and Ichigo remembered what he had said about special weapons.

The stairs seemed to go on forever and Ichigo shivered as the temperature dropped. He could see his own breath, now, and Grimmjow seemed almost hazy in front of him. The angel stopped and it took Ichigo several steps to reach him.

"Take my hand." He said and Ichigo blinked at the odd request. But he took Grimmjow's extended hand, shivering slightly at how cold his fingers were. "They're trying to separate us, I can feel it. I'm not gonna let that happen, they'd kill you in an eyeblink." Ichigo shivered again as blue power seemed to flow up his arm, into his body. But the haze on his vision cleared. "That better?"

"Yes, thanks." He said, although it wasn't all a good thing. Now he could see the liquid dripping down the walls, and it smelled and looked like blood. "Let's keep going." It seemed they had a lot of ground to cover. Grimmjow gave him a smile and Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of the expression. It was feral, anticipatory yet… sad? Resigned? There was something not even remotely happy there.

"I don't do this for that." Ichigo could barely hear the words as Grimmjow talked to himself, eyes fixed on the darkness in front of them. "If that mattered, I'd have stopped years ago."

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo said, uncertainly, but the angel shook his head.

"Sorry. Just talking to my demons. I probably shouldn't, they like it when you argue." Grimmjow said and Ichigo nodded, swallowing. He couldn't help the fear that was crawling through his body. He was scared, very scared now. But he wasn't going to let it stop him. He had to protect his friends.

The next attack came without warning. Grimmjow shoved him backwards and Ichigo yelped, falling on his ass. It was a good thing, though, as something thin and red passed overhead. Grimmjow blocked it with his sword and there were sparks before the angel was tossed roughly into a wall. Then something that looked like a red worm oozed up the stairs, and Ichigo backed away frantically, reaching for his charm.

He was as surprised as the worm when a shield of gold and blue, shading to green in spots, sprang up around him, blocking the creature's next attack on him. But then they both lost interest as Grimmjow launched his attack.

Sparks flew again and again, as Grimmjow struggled to penetrate the creature's armored carapace. But the worm shrieked in pain, a sound that felt like needles in Ichigo's eardrums. More and more of the red things lashed out, trying to capture Grimmjow, but the angel avoided them with a grace that made him look like he was dancing. Ichigo tried to send him strength, and suddenly Grimmjow lashed out with something new. A dart of power, tinted a vibrant green, slammed into the worm and seemed to ignore the armor, digging deep into the body. The worm abruptly exploded and Ichigo winced as his shield was coated in slime.

"Disgusting!" Grimmjow huffed and Ichigo smiled, dropping the shield as he looked at the demon slayer. He was using a tiny bit of power to clean himself off a little, although Ichigo thought his clothes would never be the same. "Thanks for the power, by the way. I had to save and condense it with mine to kill it with a single blow like that."

"It's nothing." Ichigo said. It was all he could do for Grimmjow, really. "Are we done?" He said hopefully and Grimmjow laughed, harshly.

"Are you kidding? That was a pretty major demon, yeah, but not the power behind this." He said and Ichigo winced. "You'll know when we kill it, if we do. Because this place will start to collapse." He said and Ichigo froze. Collapse?

"Collapse? But, how will we survive?" They were deep underground now. How could they get out before it finished collapsing? Grimmjow waved that problem away.

"I'll make us a portal out, no problem. Let's worry about making it that far." He said and Ichigo nodded as the angel offered him a hand again. He took it and they continued into the abyss. "Ah shit." Grimmjow whispered and Ichigo looked at him. "I think it's gotten a pretty good gauge on my power and experience now. It's coming to meet us."

"Does that mean it thinks it's going to win, or is it afraid of us?" He asked and Grimmjow hesitated, shaking his head.

"I don't know kid. I really don't know. C'mon, let's keep going, I'd like to fight it somewhere more open than these fucking stairs and I think we might be close to the bottom." They kept moving and as it turned out, Grimmjow was right. They finally stepped into a wide open cavern. There were eggs on the ground, wet with unknown and probably horrible fluids. There were also some cocoons on the walls and Ichigo gagged as he realized there were bodies inside, and he could see the faces. Many of them were old and desiccated but at least one was fresh, and he felt a moment of absolute horror as he recognized the girl within. He hadn't known her, not really, but she had been a student at the school who vanished one day. Everyone had thought she was a run away. Apparently, they had all been wrong.

Then something horrible scuttled into the cavern and his attention was snapped away from the dead, and onto the living threat.

The monster at the centre of the segue was a spider. Larger than an elephant, it was jet black and glittered with silver markings, running down its legs and over its back. It would have been almost beautiful, if not for the gnashing fangs and the mad, red, faceted eyes glaring at them in insane fury.

"Grind, Pantera." Ichigo's attention snapped to Grimmjow at those quiet words and he watched as the man changed. White armor covered his body and his hair lengthened, turning into a beautiful blue wave behind him. There were green marks beside his eyes, and his ears were cat like and flexible. His sword vanished, merging with his body as his hands and feet changed into clawed, catlike paws. Blue claws slashed out at the monster but it dodged with preternatural speed, raising one leg to shatter the blue. Grimmjow swore and Ichigo watched as he leapt towards the beast. Then, the battle was on.

It was hard for him to follow, with only mortal eyesight. He kept feeding power to Grimmjow and set up his shield, noticing it was very green now. Ichigo had no idea what that meant and didn't care, just watching the deadly dance in front of him. The spider reared back and shot out a gout of webbing, but Grimmjow avoided it and slashed those blue claws down, ripping into the monster's abdomen.

It was a wonderful move, and the spider screamed in pain. But Grimmjow had left himself vulnerable and one clawed foot slammed into him so hard, Ichigo saw blood fly from his mouth. The angel tried to stop himself from hitting the wall, fighting to slow himself, but that was a mistake. Instead of hitting the wall, he landed on a stalagmite and Ichigo screamed as he saw they were every bit as sharp as he'd thought. White armor tried to resist and the stalagmite partially shattered, but that only left more shards to go through flesh when the armor broke.

"Grimmjow!" He ran to the angel, abandoning his shield as the spider chittered, still trying to recover from its own injury. They didn't have long, but they had a moment. Ichigo stared, feeling sick as he took in the blood splattering the ground and the shattered remains of the stalagmite. He'd worked at a clinic and while an angel might be different, Ichigo didn't think he was different enough to lose this much blood and still fight. Then his stomach clenched as Grimmjow abruptly lost his more powerful form, trying to roll over and coughing up a mouthful of blood. He gripped the man's shoulders as he lifted his head, blue eyes wild and pupils nothing but pinpricks.

"Can't… almost got her… can't end… this way…" He gasped out, gripping his sword tightly. "Ichigo… take my… power. Make it… happen!"

"Right." Ichigo said, unsure what Grimmjow intended but absolutely sure that he would make this happen. Grimmjow gripped his sword and suddenly lunged. Ichigo looked down in shock at the sword that had been driven into his chest. But there was no blood, just a curious pressure. Then blue fire exploded in his mind and he screamed just before he left his body.

Ichigo was vaguely surprised to find that without his body, everything was crystal clear. He was wearing a white uniform similar to Grimmjow's, but his sword was nothing like the angel's, a huge blade that reminded him a little of a meat cleaver. It was a little odd but he had no time for that as the spider screamed and attacked, realizing it had a new opponent. He sliced off a limb easily, wondering vaguely why Grimmjow hadn't been able to do that. But he had all of his own power, and Grimmjow's as well. Perhaps he was stronger.

The demon seemed to think so, swelling with rage as he attacked. Ichigo didn't have any of the fancier abilities Grimmjow had used, but he made up for it with sheer fury. The whispers meant nothing now.

"You think you can hurt my friends, destroy my school? Fuck you! You can just –" Gore flew as he slammed his blade into a faceted eye before avoiding two strikes at him from the flailing limbs. A high pitch shriek rent the air as he lashed the body with his sword. "Go –" Another strike, this one hitting hard carapace but digging in. "To – " Power flaring along with the strike, perfectly green and incredibly powerful. "Hell!" Ichigo unleashed the full force of his fury into that dark, vile creature and smiled as it curled up with a fading wail, taking the position of dead spiders everywhere. He landed beside it and checked it over with his new, improved senses. There was no power left. It was certainly dead –

Then there was a shiver through the ground and Ichigo's eyes widened as he remembered. Grimmjow had said this place would collapse, and he would make a portal. But Ichigo had his power now and he had no idea how to make a portal, whatever that was.

"Grimmjow!" He rushed back to the wounded angel, hoping the man wasn't dead. To his relief, Grimmjow was pulling himself to his up, still coughing blood and swaying on his feet. "Take your power back, quick!" Grimmjow nodded, his blue eyes dull and full of pain as he reached out to touch Ichigo's sword.

Nothing happened. Grimmjow blinked, looking at the sword for a too long moment. Then his gaze went up to the six on Ichigo's neck and he blinked.

"Oh, fuck." He said and Ichigo stared as Grimmjow touched the charm at his throat. "I've fucked up. I've fucked up so goddamn bad. If I survive, I'm so completely screwed. Why didn't I think?"

"Grimmjow, the portal!" Ichigo had no idea what Grimmjow was going on about, but they simply didn't have time to worry about anything else. The angel blinked and moved his hand, setting it on Ichigo's forehead. Ichigo stiffened and screamed as he suddenly saw and knew things about Grimmjow he would never, ever have wanted to know about another person. The confused welter of memories and feelings could not be analyzed, not yet, but they were imprinted on his mind like a brand of fire. But with them came knowledge. Frantic with fear, Ichigo grasped that knowledge with both hands and began to create a portal. The fabric of reality split but Ichigo could sense the crushing pressure building around them as the cavern began to fade away. It was taking too long –

The portal was just barely finished with hard hands gave him a shove, sending him through the gate. Ichigo screamed Grimmjow's name, just once before he was flung into darkness.


	3. The Aftermath

"Nngh." Grimmjow gasped and coughed up a mouthful of blood as he tried to get up the stairs for the third time.

_I've completely fucked myself. If I don't die here, Aizen's going to kill me. Shit, can't I just die? Why do I have to be so fucking tough?_ Grimmjow groaned, low and painfully as he finally reached the top step. He couldn't walk. His right leg was broken and from the looks of it, his left ankle was completely shattered. And something was crunching in his pelvis every time he moved. The minor charms that were all he had left weren't doing much, but they could dull the pain a little. _Fuck._

He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about the charm. Ichigo had been wearing part of his soul, and when Grimmjow had given him his power that little part of his soul had fused with it. It would take an expert soul healer to get it back out of him, and Grimmjow wasn't going to get one of those. Not a chance.

_Why can't I just die? My life is over anyway._ Grimmjow growled as he grabbed the doorknob with his one undamaged arm, then groaned in anguish as he pulled himself up, trying desperately to open the door. Then someone on the other side yanked it open and his groan turned into a gasp of sheer agony as he was yanked into the hallway. Fortunately, none of the humans rushing past could see him, although Ishida did act like he knew something was there, glancing around. _Fuck!_ Falling to the ground he made a harsh, guttural sound that he steadfastedly refused to believe was a sob.

Crawling with one arm and one knee – the other arm was broken – he tried to ignore the blood trail he was leaving behind. It was all spiritual and would vanish over time, but it was a terrifying indication of how much power he was losing. And he didn't have much to spare, not now. Grimmjow didn't even want to think about his internal injuries, but he knew they were bad. The crunching from his hips was a damn good indication.

He reached the school foyer, and couldn't go any further. His mind was still clear, but the pain was simply too much. He lay limp on the ground, panting, every breath stirring broken ribs and sending small jolts of pain through his abused body. And he thought about the situation was in.

He'd fully expected to die after he shoved Ichigo through the portal. He could have gotten through himself, but he'd remember Ichigo's human body. If that was crushed, the kid would be dead, and Grimmjow damned well wasn't letting that happen. So that had gone through second, and then time had been up. But instead of killing him outright, the collapsing segue had spat him out like a watermelon seed.

But not without damage. Grimmjow was a bit shocked he was still alive. It felt like half the bones in his body had been broken, and that might not be an exaggeration. For damn sure, he was in bad shape. It was going to take him at least a month to recover, and that was long for a demon slayer. That is, if anyone found him before he bled to death.

Grimmjow wasn't sure he wanted them to. When he'd given Ichigo his power, he'd planned to take it back before anyone could find out what he'd done. He'd still get racked over the coals by Aizen, because he couldn't please the man, but his few friends would understand what an achievement it was, stopping a segue alone. No one would know he'd done something forbidden to do it.

That plan was gone, dust and ashes. His power was gone and he was going to have to admit what he'd done. Grimmjow closed his eyes at the thought. It was illegal, giving demon slayer powers to a human like that, and the punishments could be as harsh as execution. He didn't think he'd get that – that punishment was for when the human died – but sure as shit, he was in deep, deep trouble.

_It would be better if I died here. Then no one would know, and I'd get a heroes burial. Fuck. Why can't I just die?_ Grimmjow sighed to himself, watching as his breath stirred the puddle of blood by his face. _Because I am just too fucking stubborn to give up. And there is some hope._ Sure, he had a shitload of black marks on his file, but he'd stopped a segue. That had to be worth something. Maybe, just maybe he'd get a stint in the Maggot's Den, or maybe just being a cleaner in the academy, before he was finally rehabilitated and given a soul healer to get his powers back. Maybe he'd be given another chance. _Yeah. Keep dreaming._

He was starting to feel warm and fuzzy, and wondering if it would all be a moot point, when a booted foot came down by his head. A bit of blood splashed into his face and Grimmjow groaned, blinking and trying to look up. His eyes just wouldn't focus properly. But he could still tell who it was.

"Ulqui… help…" His voice sounded bad, breathy with a gurgling sound at the end of each word. That didn't seem to get him any compassion and he held back a whimper as Ulquiorra nudged him in the side, stirring his broken ribs.

"You're quite a bloody mess. Can't stand, Grimmjow?" There was malice in the usually emotionless tone, and Grimmjow groaned, struggling to speak.

"My… ankle… broken… you… asshole…" He managed to get out. Then he saw the feet beside his face move, heard Ulquiorra walking down his body.

"Is it?" That was the only warning he got before white hot pain tore through his body, pulling an involuntary scream from his throat. He heard the bones crunching as Ulquiorra shoved his booted foot into that shattered ankle. "It seems that it is."

He couldn't take it. He simply couldn't take it anymore. He threw up from the pain, struggling not to choke on it as Ulquiorra said something he couldn't make out. Then the man suddenly grabbed him and Grimmjow screamed again as he was slung roughly over one shoulder. The pain was unbelievable, but there was finally a bonus. He fainted, and felt only relief as the pain faded into darkness.

* * *

A week later.

Ichigo lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling as he thought. He couldn't see himself, so he didn't know that his eyes were dark with remembered pain.

It had been a week since Grimmjow's… death. Ichigo bit his lip as he thought about it. He'd opened the portal to the closest safe place he could reach, the boiler room. His body had come through after him, and he'd managed to get back into it just as the boiler exploded.

His shield of green energy had protected him but flung him against the wall, and he'd lost consciousness. He'd woken up in the hospital, with his father looking after him and his sisters both asking him if he was okay. There had been plenty of tears and Ichigo had quickly found out that Grimmjow's human body had been found in the boiler room, nearly crushed. Everyone thought he'd been killed by the boiler exploding. And several days after he'd returned to school, Ichigo realized that everyone thought he and Grimmjow had been making out in the basement.

He didn't care about the damage to his reputation. Ichigo cared about the fact that Grimmjow was dead, and he'd died getting him to safety. It just seemed wrong. They'd beaten the monster, they'd saved the day. How could Grimmjow be dead?

But life wasn't fair. He'd learned that at a young age. Ichigo sighed and winced as memories intruded. They weren't his memories, which made them harder to deal with, just like the blue power that kept swirling with gold, making all his power green. His added sensitivity hadn't gone away, if anything it had increased since getting Grimmjow's power.

"_Mama?"_ Ichigo hissed, gripping his head. He knew this memory and did not want to remember it again. But the memory came back, tormenting him. _"Mama? I got you some medicine." _Ichigo saw a hand, clearly Grimmjow's, but smaller and a bit more delicate. The hand of a young boy, not an adult. Grimmjow opened the door and stepped inside, walking up to the bed. The smell of sickness was heavy in the room and the woman in the bed did not stir. Grimmjow set the packet on the ground before gently touching the shoulder of the woman in the bed. The bed was the only furnishings in the clean but poverty stricken room. _"Mama?" _Grimmjow's hands gently moving her face, until Ichigo could see a heavily lined, older woman with dirty blonde hair. Those youthful hands, gently pressing fingers against her neck. Checking for a pulse. _"Damn it."_

"It hurts." Ichigo whispered, feeling the pain in that voice. The pain of the memory, like shattered glass in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. He had a feeling the pain of the memories would dull, eventually. He'd taken in Grimmjow's burdens so abruptly; his mind needed time to settle. He didn't think he would ever forget though.

Fortunately, there were good memories along with the bad. Although some of them were quite embarrassing. One of those flashed across his mind and Ichigo groaned.

"_I can't believe they placed me above you in kido!"_ Ichigo felt Grimmjow's head turn, looking at a young man with spiky red hair and brown red eyes. He had tattoos above his eyes, which was a bit odd, although they were very simple in design.

"_Yeah, well, I can't believe it either."_ Grimmjow's voice here sounded more like himself, sour and angry. _"I'm starting to wonder why I even bother trying."_

"_Hey, don't think of it like that. You've got enough power to be one of the best, everyone knows it."_ The redhead said in an obvious attempt to cheer his friend up. Grimmjow's head turned again, and he looked out over a great and sprawling city. The two of them were sitting on the edge of a roof, somewhere high in the sky. _"You'll be great someday, just wait and see."_

"_Mmm."_ Grimmjow shrugged, reaching into a bag beside him. _"Want some saki, Renji?"_

"_That would be great." _The redhead took the bottle for a moment, taking a small drink before passing it back. Grimmjow, though, took a large drink. Ichigo could taste the saki, feel his throat moving in a long swallow. _"Woah, Grimm, slow down. You know you're a mean drunk."_

"_Yeah."_ Grimmjow grunted before handing the bottle back, resting his elbows on his knees. _"I don't think I'm gonna make it, Renji. I don't think I'm ever gonna be anything here."_ Ichigo could feel Grimmjow's depression, a deep and private despair. But one he was willing to share with Renji.

"_Grimmjow…"_ There was a strange note in Renji's voice, that made Grimmjow turn his head to look at him. Then a hand was behind his head, pulling him into an open mouthed kiss. _"You're something to me."_

Ichigo yanked himself out of the memory before it could continue, blushing lightly. He knew the rest of that memory, though. He had dreams about it, although he didn't think the sex that had followed had been the best. Grimmjow had been a virgin, and he suspected Renji was too.

"I wonder if they were still together." He mumbled to himself. Grimmjow hadn't mentioned anyone he cared about, but then, he hadn't expected to die. On the other hand, Ichigo was pretty sure that memory had come from some time ago. It was quite possible they had gone their own separate ways. And what did it matter now? All he could do was tell Renji he was sorry.

"Ichi-nii?" Ichigo looked up as the door to his room opened a bit. Karin was standing there, looking at him solemnly. "It's time to go."

"Right." He stood up, glancing himself in the mirror for a moment. He was wearing a black suit, something from his dad's closet. It didn't fit well, but it was appropriate for a memorial ceremony. Someone had claimed Grimmjow's body, probably the people he worked with, on the other side. But the school was holding a memorial for him. Ichigo had to go. It was going to be painful, he knew that.

But he had to say goodbye to the brave, dangerous angel who had saved his life.

* * *

…_Can't believe he moved around like that. He aggravated his internal injuries severely. I'm surprised he didn't bleed to death._

Grimmjow wrinkled his nose, vaguely aware of an antiseptic odor and silently listening to the voices around him. But he couldn't seem to really wake up. He was trapped in a place where he could hear, and somewhat understand, but not really comprehend what was happening to and around him.

_When will he wake up?_ Grimmjow sighed softly at that all too familiar voice. His mind was too fuzzy to really remember why, but he didn't like that voice, despite the kindly tone. He was somehow sure that tone was a lie.

_I really cannot say, Aizen taichou. If he had his powers, he would recover within the month. But as he is now, it could take as long as three months before he recovers fully._

_Well, I suppose it won't matter. Will you be attending the Captain's meeting? We're going to be debating his punishment for this debacle._

_No. I'm afraid his condition is too delicate. Here's the report on his injuries._ There was the sound of paper changing hands and Grimmjow could smell the fresh ink. His sense of smell seemed to be the one sense that was really working, and he was glad of it. Something told him that he didn't want to feel his body right now. Then warm hands touched him, doing something to his body and Grimmjow lifted his upper lip from his teeth in a strange, silent snarl. He didn't like that feeling. _Grimmjow? Can you hear me?_ A hand touched his forehead and the sexta relaxed a little as he recognized the scent. Patchouli perfume and soap.

"Unohana?" He mangled her name, and his voice was so soft she probably couldn't hear it anyway. But she knew he'd made a sound, and a gentle hand touched his shoulder, giving him a very careful squeeze.

"You will recover, sexta." She told him reassuringly and her voice was clearer to him now. Grimmjow's eyelids flickered and he whimpered softly as the light seemed to stab at him. "Shhh, warrior. You will be fine." There was something like admiration in her voice and in his daze, Grimmjow wondered if she actually approved of him. Or perhaps she was just impressed with his stubborn refusal to die. "You will live to fight another day."

"Oh yeah?" He whispered, comprehension returning. 'Debacle', Aizen had said. He might be alive, but there was no guarantee he would ever fight again. Unohana didn't understand, though, and just gave him another squeeze.

"Yes." She said with a smile before picking up a needle. Grimmjow just stayed quiet, limp and unresisting as she injected him with something that made his head spin. "Now, rest. You have a long recovery ahead of you." Eyes sagged closed as the drug took effect, and Grimmjow didn't fight as sleep claimed him.

* * *

"Taichou?" Byakuya looked up from his work at the odd note in Renji's voice.

"Abarai?" He asked, then blinked as the redhead gave him a strangely pleading look.

"Could we offer to take Grimmjow as our fifth? We have an opening, taichou." Renji asked and Byakuya stared at him, shocked and deeply offended by the suggestion. Why would Renji think it was even remotely acceptable?

"He is currently on review for his conduct, and his record is entirely unsuitable for my Division. Return to your work, Abarai." He said coldly, making it clear that he did not want to hear any more of this madness. His Division was not for troublemakers like Grimmjow. From all reports, he made Renji look like the very soul of devotion. There was silence for a while as they both worked.

"Taichou? Are they really going to execute him?" Byakuya looked up, ready to give another sharp lesson in discipline but found himself silenced by the anxiety on Renji's face. Frowning faintly, he carefully placed his pen on the desk.

"What is this man to you, Renji?" He asked seriously. He did not want his primera associating with such an undesirable element. His primera blushed darkly and shook his head.

"We were just friends in the academy." He mumbled and Byakuya frowned. He had no doubt that was true, but it was not the whole truth. "He's just one of those guys who can never seem to get an even break, you know? If you just gave him a chance you'd see."

"Hm." Byakuya shook his head. Renji was suggesting he take responsibility for the man right before his conduct went up for review. That would make Grimmjow his to defend, and Byakuya was not about to take on that responsibility, even if Grimmjow had possessed an excellent record. "Renji, cease worrying. Aizen taichou will handle Grimmjow's defense with the other taichou's." There was a strange laugh and Byakuya looked up, startled. He'd never heard his primera sound like that before.

"Taichou, everyone knows Aizen hates him. Grimmjow is totally screwed if he has to depend on Aizen." Renji said, far too frankly. Byakuya's eyes narrowed as his lips turned down in a small frown.

"You are forgetting your place, primera." He said and Renji paled, looking down at his work. "Please, make us some tea." That would remind Renji of the usual routines in the 6th Division.

"Yes, taichou." Renji sounded resigned as he left the room. Byakuya frowned after him before shaking his head and picking up his pen. He couldn't believe that Renji seriously thought that Aizen would fail to defend his sexta. That would be an immense betrayal of trust. There always had to be trust, between the members of a unit and their taichou. It was the building block of a Division.

After a quiet morning of paperwork, Byakuya went to the Captain's meeting. Much of the business was routine, involving what each Division had been up to. At least, it was routine until they got to Aizen and the deeds of his sexta.

At first, Byakuya was not particularly interested. But as the discussion went on, he noticed something… odd. Aizen was saying the correct things, but in such a way that he kept undermining his own arguments. If he had been someone as socially inept as Zarakai, that would have been understandable. But Aizen taichou was the precise opposite of socially inept. He was also failing to play up certain things, things Byakuya would certainly have heavily stressed in his place. Like the extent of Grimmjow's injuries. His frown deepened, and he made a silent promise to himself to speak to Unohana. She was not at the meeting, and Soutaichou had said that she was making certain Grimmjow would survive to receive his punishment. It sounded as though his injuries were quite severe, and Byakuya wanted to confirm that.

But he said nothing, merely watching as Aizen verbally sparred with Gin Ichimaru. The two of them were not friends and never had been, and Byakuya noticed that Gin was helping Grimmjow's cause more than Aizen. Gin was very nearly as socially adept as Aizen, and presumably he was doing this to annoy his enemy. Which meant he thought that Aizen did not want Grimmjow to be helped.

Internally, Byakuya cursed Renji for making him aware of this interplay. But he found it to be highly disturbing. A taichou had to care about his followers, and the truth was that Grimmjow had managed to pull a success from the teeth of disaster. The only one who had truly suffered for his misdeeds was himself. Yet, it seemed the one man who should appreciate that the most was using it as an opportunity… for what? Byakuya wasn't certain, and he took care not to reveal that he had any interest in the matter at all.

But he would have to investigate this.

* * *

"Unohana taichou?" Grimmjow stirred slightly at that voice. It was not particularly familiar, but he recognized it.

"Byakuya." He mumbled to himself, so softly it was inaudible. Probably just as well. If Byakuya heard him say his name without the full honorifics, the Kuchiki noble would probably pull his guts out through his nostrils.

Byakuya was not someone he'd ever had much to do with. When Renji had been in the 11th, they'd still been friends, but when he'd gone to the 6th they'd completely lost touch. Grimmjow hadn't been surprised. Renji was a Primera now, working under a captain with a serious stick up his ass. He wouldn't be happy to have his top subordinate associating with the biggest loser in the ranks.

"Yes, Byakuya taichou?" Unohana said pleasantly, and Grimmjow let himself relax at the warm feeling of her presence. He trusted her, he always had. It wouldn't do him a damned bit of good in the future, though.

"I was wondering about the extent of his injuries. They were not made clear at the Captain's meeting." Byakuya said and Grimmjow sighed to himself. Color him surprised.

"Really? I did give Aizen taichou a copy of my report. I can run another one off for you, if you like." She offered and Byakuya considered it for a moment.

"I would appreciate that, Unohana taichou." Byakuya said formally and Grimmjow opened his eyes, blinking as he tried to focus. It was hard, but he finally managed to see the black haired man flipping through a report. It was a big, thick report. "Is this accurate?" Byakuya was looking at one particular page and Grimmjow heard Unohana sigh.

"I'm afraid it is. He suffered damage to numerous internal organs, and then severely aggravated it as he attempted to crawl. We had to give him a very large transfusion…" Grimmjow tuned them out, knowing that if he kept listening he'd start to feel sick. And he was damned if he was going to puke in front of Byakuya. He still had his pride.

Instead, he let his thoughts wander to Kurosaki. He hoped he'd gotten the kid out in time. No one had mentioned him in his hearing, but that was no surprise. They barely cared about him, why would they care about some kid who'd accidentally gotten the powers of a sexta? It wasn't like he could use them much without training, and no one here would give him the time of day, let alone real training. Maybe, if he got out of this alive and got his powers back, he could train the kid a bit. Grimmjow knew it was quite likely that even when he got his powers back, Kurosaki would still have suffered a full spiritual awakening. That was usually what happened, when a human was giving demon slayer powers.

But right now, he wasn't sure if the kid was alive or dead. Grimmjow thought he was alive, but he'd have liked confirmation. If Kurosaki had died, he'd be in the afterlife right now, probably being taken into the academy. And they'd probably welcome him with open arms. Better a kid they could mold than a fuck up who was already on death's door.

Grimmjow snarled to himself, realizing he was letting his thoughts go in depressing directions. He was determined not to feel bad about himself. He'd handled a fucking segue with only a human kid for backup.

They could take away his life, but he still had that triumph to keep him warm.


	4. Where to Plant the Knife

Byakuya sighed to himself as the captains debated Grimmjow's punishment again.

It was a very serious matter, not the sort of thing to be decided lightly. Once Grimmjow was recovered, his verdict would be given to him and he would be allowed to say a few words. Byakuya suspected they might be curses.

He was tempted to curse himself. Unohana was present now, and she'd taken care to make sure a full copy of Grimmjow's medical report was given to all the taichou. It made extremely grim reading and some people, like Zaraki, were impressed by the man's stamina. Others were sympathetic with his pain.

But it just wasn't enough, not with Aizen quietly campaigning against him. Byakuya had never seen anything like it. He was sorely tempted to take Renji's advice and ask to take the man into his Division. And finally, he gave in to that temptation.

"Aizen taichou, my Division has an opening for a Quinta." He said quietly, and all eyes went to him, some quite surprised. "When he is recovered, I would like to request Grimmjow to fill that position." He knew he was causing trouble for himself. But Renji would be pleased, so some of it could be pushed onto his primera. They had been friends, so there was also a good chance that Grimmjow would give them his best. And Aizen would surely leap at the chance. It would allow him to drop any obligation to Grimmjow.

"I fear I must refuse, Byakuya taichou." Byakuya blinked, just barely managing to stop the incredulity he felt from registering on his face. Aizen's tone was gentle and regretful. "I cannot inflict this kind of disciplinary problem on another taichou."

"I… see." Byakuya said slowly, unable to believe what he was hearing. This simply made no sense at all. "But my primera, Renji, was once friends with Grimmjow. I feel he might be better served with my officer as his primera." Surely Aizen could see the logic in that. But the other taichou shook his head.

"I am afraid I must refuse." He said again, and that was the end of it. A transfer required both taichou's to be willing, unless the soutaichou overruled them. And Yamamoto was clearly not inclined to do so. Byakuya watched as the meeting moved on to other things, his head swimming. Clearly, Aizen wanted his sexta to die.

But why?

* * *

It was a month before Grimmjow could do more than lift one arm.

That arm was the unbroken one, and he was able to at least feed himself, after someone else had cut up his food. But he required help with everything else, which was humiliating but something he just had to tolerate. The pain involved whenever he needed to use the bedpan… well, it was pretty fucking bad.

But finally, the bones started to mend, if only a bit. His one broken leg was coming along well, but his ankle wasn't. It had been shattered, not merely broken, and it had been splinted both inside and out, with power and a cast. Unohana's gentle touch and the breath of her power had set it on the course to mending, but it would be at least another month before it could bear his weight.

His pelvis was coming along well, his ribs were coming along well, and the deep puncture wounds in his back had healed completely, along with most of the internal injuries. Everything hurt, but he was pleased the first time he managed to make the trip to the bathroom unaided. Being able to pee in privacy was worth every moment of pain.

And as the bones mended, he started to get a bit more adventurous. Unohana wasn't tending him personally at that point, but her healers were more than willing to get him some crutches so he could start to get around. Grimmjow grinned as he thumped around the Division, until Unohana caught him and put him firmly back to bed. That woman was nice, but she could also be scary.

It was during one of his little forays into the real world that he overheard an unnerving conversation.

"…It seems so unfair." Grimmjow paused, listening intently. That voice was familiar. One of the healers who had been tending him, he was pretty sure. "He's been through so much."

"Not to mention, it's a horrible waste of our work." Grimmjow lifted his eyebrows at the tone. Disgust combined with amusement. The first person hissed.

"You're such a prig! Who cares about that? But stopping a segue, with nothing but himself and a human child? That deserves a bit more respect." Grimmjow felt an icy chill at those words. He'd suspected they were talking about him, but now he knew. "Unohana's upset, and Anali thinks that means he's going to be executed." Grimmjow swallowed, hard. He knew Unohana was upset about something, despite the smile she still wore. But he hadn't really thought they would go that far. Backing away as quietly as he could, he went back to his hospital room.

"Shit." He breathed to himself as he thought about it. Someone must have finally gotten sick of all the black marks on his record and decided it was time to do something about it, permanently. "Shit shit shit." Now that he was on the mend, Grimmjow did not want to die. He'd only wanted to die before because it hurt so fucking bad, living had seemed like a chore. And that girl was right, this was fucking unfair. "Shit!" He sat down on his bed and tried to think of what he could do.

His options sucked balls. His powers were pretty much gone. He had a bit of residual, but it wasn't enough to do more than minor charms. He was still pretty much crippled, so he wasn't going to be running very far. Grimmjow swallowed and tried to think of something, then reached up to grip his badge of rank. It was a long shot, but maybe…

_Kurosaki? Can you hear me?_ He tried to force his thoughts through that charm. The kid had a piece of his soul in addition to almost all of his power, so there was a chance it could work. _Things are kind of fucked up over here. Could you lend me some power, kid?_ Nothing. _Kid?_ Still nothing. Grimmjow grimaced, pulling his hand away. Maybe the kid was asleep or something. Time didn't run the same, on both sides of the pond.

He'd have to try again later.

* * *

_Kurosaki?_ Ichigo hissed softly in his sleep, turning over as that familiar voice seemed to speak in his mind. But he was asleep, and it only sent him spiraling off into a very interesting dream.

"_I'm gay as fuck, kid. And I think you're bi. I can tell you like me." Bright blue eyes and a big, toothy grin were facing him over a library table. In the dream, though, Ichigo wasn't mortified. He was intrigued. Sitting down beside the angel, he leaned close, invading his personal space._

"_What if I do like you?" He murmured, gripping the front of the other man's shirt. "What are you going to do about it?" Then Ichigo squeaked as hot, delicious lips were on his, and the blue haired angel shoved him down onto the table. The other students were staring and the librarian was yelling something but he couldn't care less as hard, strong hands worked on his belt. The leather came free and his pants followed, yanked down to his knees._

"_Not bad, kid." Ichigo blushed as Grimmjow looked him over appreciatively, his gaze lingering on the erection he was sporting. "Not bad at all. So…" Grimmjow grinned and went down on him so suddenly, Ichigo gasped in surprise as a powerful mouth closed around his cock. The suction was fantastic, as Grimmjow explored him with his tongue, finding all the most sensitive spots. "Mmm." Ichigo moaned, tossing his head back as he was given the first blow job of his life. It was incredible, wonderful and it made him ache for more._

_But more was not forthcoming, as the librarian grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. The table and other man seemed to vanish and Ichigo whined as he felt the dream taking a bad turn._

"_Detention for you, Kurosaki!"But it wasn't the detention room he ended up in, it was the basement. A basement that was full of spiders with silver darts on their bodies. They started crawling over him and he screamed as a bell began to ring._

"Ah!" Ichigo started out of the dream as his alarm went off, his heart beating a mile a minute. "Oh. Ugh." He lay back on his bed for a moment, one arm over his eyes. "That was an awful nightmare." He mumbed, although the first part hadn't been bad at all. But fantasizing about a dead man, well… that was creepy and futile. Sighing to himself, he pulled himself out of bed to get ready for school.

No matter how much things changed, life still went on.

* * *

Byakuya watched as the vote was taken with a heavy heart.

It was a very close thing. The verdict was anything but unanimous, seven to six. But the motion was carried, and there was nothing left to be done. When Grimmjow was fully recovered, he would meet his fate, death by Sokyoku.

It seemed cruel to him to wait, but part of the rules surrounding execution was that the criminal needed to be in good health and sound mind. Those rules had originally been put into place to avoid the abuse of prisoners. Byakuya sighed to himself. He had no doubt that Grimmjow would hear of this very soon. The man wouldn't be put into a restraining collar until he was a bit more healed, however. In his current condition, that could kill him. But he might as well be in a restraining collar. With his injuries and complete lack of spiritual power, the former sexta could not hope to escape.

He would probably try, though. Byakuya knew that. No one who could survive such injuries would tamely accept death, and he knew Unohana was thinking the same thing, from the pinched look on her face. The medical division would have to keep a watch on him to keep him from injuring himself further.

His heart heavy, Byakuya left the meeting to go back to his Division. Renji was there, still working on the paperwork and he sat at his desk without a word to his primera. He began to work on his own paperwork, but then his concentration was broken as a cup of tea was set down beside his hand.

"Taichou, I wanted to say thank you." Renji said quietly as Byakuya blinked at him, then took a sip of his tea. "Rukia said you offered to take him, but Aizen taichou wouldn't approve the transfer."

"It was nothing." Nothing but a futile gesture, in the end. "Do you know why Aizen hates him so much?" He asked quietly. It was not the proper sort of a question for a taichou to ask his primera, but he wanted to know. Renji bit his lip and shook his head.

"No, but… I heard it started as soon as Grimmjow joined his Division. Lilynette talks a lot, and she gets upset about it." Renji said honestly and Byakuya frowned. Starrk's little adopted daughter might have a place in Aizen's Division, but she was no more reliable a source of information than Yachiru. "I don't know why Aizen took him at all if he was going to treat him this way."

"Hm." Byakuya sighed and sipped his tea, looking at his paperwork for a moment without seeing it. "I suppose it doesn't matter now." He was glad that tomorrow there would be some very interesting field work. One of his areas was showing an increase in demonic activity, and he would be handling it personally.

It would be good to get away for a while.

* * *

Grimmjow felt almost faint with effort as he tried to project through his badge.

_Kurosaki! I really need your help here._ He growled, lips pulling off his teeth in a snarl as he tried so hard to make the connection, his head was hurting from the strain. _Feed me some power, kid, or I'm going to die._

Grimmjow couldn't know, but Byakuya had been right about how long it had taken for him to get word of his impending demise. Deep down, the sexta was afraid, but for him fear translated easily into anger. And there was plenty of anger to go around.

"Fucking Aizen." He growled to himself, gripping his badge like a lifeline. "Come on, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow was starting to wonder if the kid was dead. If he'd come to the afterlife, they wouldn't have let him keep his charm. And if that was the case, he was screwed. There was nothing left to make a connection with. Finally giving up, he pulled his hand away.

But he was not going to give up. Hissing in pain, he came to his feet and considered how to make his escape. The only answer seemed to be going out the window, but he was pretty high up and his ankle was not healed. Could he do it? It was nighttime, so there weren't many people around, and clearly no one had considered that he might try something so crazy.

And it was crazy as fuck. Grimmjow gasped softly as he put weight on his ankle, but there was nothing for it. He was not going to go out without a fight. Opening the window he swallowed hard, then began the slow and agonizing process of climbing down. Everything felt strained when he finally reached the ground, except for his ankle. That felt like he'd broken it again.

_Now where the fuck am I going?_ He hadn't really thought he would get this far. He'd sort of figured he would probably lose his grip on the wall and break his back or something. The healing Division was surrounded by gardens, full of herbs and fresh vegetables for the people recovering from their injuries. Beyond that was a wrought iron fence. There were gates, but they were guarded this time of night. He couldn't go through those. Shuddering slightly at the thought, Grimmjow began to limp towards the fence. He'd have to go over it. That would be ugly as hell but he didn't have any choice if he wanted to live –

"Where do you think you're going, Grimmjow?" He whirled at that familiar and unwelcome voice, hissing as he accidentally put pressure on his ankle. Ulquiorra was looking at him, and this time he wasn't hiding the loathing in those green eyes. It really made him wonder why the bastard seemed to hate him so much. He hadn't done a thing to him, really. A few smart mouthed comments, sure, but that didn't explain the hatred he was seeing now. Of course, he hadn't done anything to Aizen either, and look where that had gone.

"I'm getting the hell out of here. What does it look like?" He said with more bravado than anything else. If Ulqui wanted to stop him, he wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't think so." The fucker said with a smirk before he attacked. Grimmjow gasped, managing not to cry out as his arm was twisted behind him, a quick blow to his legs forcing him to his knees. It was the arm that had been broken and Grimmjow hissed softly as he felt the bone straining. If Ulquiorra wasn't careful he'd rebreak it.

Then a foot slammed into his ankle and Grimmjow wasn't sure if he was going to faint or puke. He felt the tender, barely mended bones break again and when Ulquiorra ground his heel into the fracture, he jerked in agony. He just barely managed to pull forward enough to avoid throwing up all over himself.

"You trying to cripple me?" He gasped out, mind hazed with anguish. Ulquiorra's laugh was cold and full of a vicious malice.

"As if it matters." Then his arm broke with a wet snap. Grimmjow felt himself sag, not quite fainting as his vision went a strange shade of yellow, pulsing around the edges. "Now, be silent." Grimmjow felt himself lifted up and bit his lip until it bled to stop a pained sound from escaping. He would not let Ulquiorra know how much it hurt. "I probably shouldn't have done your ankle. It will delay your execution considerably."

"F-Fuck you." He gasped out, then puked on Ulquiorra's back. It wasn't much, just some bile, but it made him feel a bit better. That feeling vanished as the pale bastard shoved him roughly through the window to his room, catching his broken arm on the window sill. Again, he didn't quite faint, although he desperately wanted to. "Bastard!" He choked out when his head stopped spinning. Ulquiorra just grabbed his collar and dragged him onto the bed, ignoring the stifled sounds of pain. Then he just stood there, waiting and watching as Grimmjow managed to get a grip on himself.

"Why?" Grimmjow whispered, meeting those green eyes. "Why do you hate me so much?" He just couldn't understand it. Ulquiorra looked at him, expression completely blank. The hate was only in his eyes.

"Because you're worthless." That calm, monotone declaration made his breath freeze in his throat. Grimmjow grunted, feeling like he'd been punched in the stomach as Ulquiorra turned and left the room. Long after the Quatro was gone, Grimmjow stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the pain of his body.

_Because you're worthless._

The words hurt because he knew, deep inside, that they were the truth.

* * *

Ulquiorra left the medical division to go give Aizen a report on Grimmjow's progress.

Aizen would not be happy with him. He shouldn't have broken that idiot's arm again, or his ankle. But the truth was, Grimmjow infuriated him. He despised the sexta on so many levels.

The first thing he loathed about Grimmjow was his personality. He was exactly the kind of person who grated on Ulquiorra's nerves, loud and brash and confident. Yet that confidence, for someone who knew him well – or at least, studied him – was clearly a façade. Grimmjow thought of himself as merely a sexta, and barely capable of that.

And that was the second thing he hated about the sexta. He was an expert at sensing and judging power flows, unlike Grimmjow. So he knew that the sexta had always had more raw power than he did. He had more raw power even than Starrk. Perhaps, his power could equal Aizen's, with enough time and careful training.

Grimmjow was entirely ignorant of that fact. It infuriated Ulquiorra, to see all that potential power wasted on a fool who couldn't honestly look at himself and see what was there. If he'd had that sort of power, Aizen would have needed to watch his back. But instead, it was given to the sexta, who only wanted to please his taichou and lost a bit more of his self-worth every time he failed in that hopeless task.

Grimmjow pretended he didn't care, but Ulquiorra knew better. The sexta thought he was tough and self-reliant, but some part of him still craved approval, needed it desperately. And Aizen was his taichou, the man who ultimately owned his fate, so Grimmjow couldn't help but look there. He would never get what he was looking for, and in truth, Ulquiorra didn't know why. If he'd been in Aizen's position, he'd have nurtured the sexta. Not for Grimmjow's benefit, but to use him, to fix that craving for approval on himself. Aizen could have had a deeply loyal subordinate. Instead, he had a wreck.

But Ulquiorra was not the taichou, and the truth was that he simply hated Grimmjow. He loathed the man with every fibre of his being, so instead of giving him the truth, he'd given the sexta a lie he knew he would believe. A tiny, cold smile flicked across his lips as he thought about it. He studied everyone around him, and Grimmjow had been easy to figure out.

He knew exactly where to plant the knife.


End file.
